“The emergence of Web3 presents an opportunity for societies to collectively take stock and evaluate how this new era of digital innovation can best serve their citizens.”

Biography:

Joseph Lubin is the founder and CEO of crypto entity ConsenSys. Back in the 1980s, Lubin attended Princeton University, earning his bachelor’s degree in engineering. He then worked as a manager at the university in the robotics and expert systems lab. His subsequent endeavors include working as a software engineer and research scientist for Vision Applications and Tomandandy, serving as vice president of technology in the private wealth management branch of Goldman Sachs, and working as the CEO of SyNerG Music. 

Lubin is a well-known name in the cryptocurrency industry, having been in the sector for a considerable time. He helped co-found the Ethereum blockchain and also founded ConsenSys in 2014, leading the entity as its CEO since then. ConsenSys is a leader in the development of the Ethereum ecosystem and is known for its innovative solutions, like the MetaMask wallet, and contributions to the blockchain space. In a 2021 interview with Cointelegraph — a year that saw nonfungible tokens boom — Lubin spoke highly of the NFTs, expecting them to grow from their applications in industries such as the art world to represent businesses eventually. 

Lubin’s 2022:

In the latter half of 2022, the Ethereum blockchain underwent its long-awaited Merge, which resulted in a move from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake, which resulted in the blockchain requiring less energy to run. With climate concerns in mind and in an effort to make up for Ethereum’s years of higher energy usage, Lubin and ConsenSys banded together with multiple entities to form the Ethereum Climate Platform, which made headlines in November. The coalition aims to fund projects looking to offset Ethereum’s previous energy usage, with other founders including Polygon, Microsoft and more. 

In October, ConsenSys formed a decentralized autonomous organization called the MetaMask Grants DAO, with the goal of expanding the Web3 and MetaMask ecosystem. ConsenSys invested $2.4 million in the effort over a 12-month trial period. Late in the year, ConsenSys updated its privacy policy to inform people that certain information from MetaMask users, including IP addresses, was being collected as part of MetaMask’s processes. Following concerns from industry participants, ConsenSys later clarified the specifics of the policy, in part noting that actions such as simply logging into a MetaMask wallet would not trigger data collection. 

Lubin’s 2023:

Lubin’s 2023 is expected to be filled with activity pushing crypto industry adoption via his leadership of ConsenSys. The start of the year saw ConsenSys make multiple headlines. In January, the company publicized its move to cut its staff by 11%. Lubin cited the company’s intent to tighten up and focus attention on its core values, noting a struggling market as the rationale. Lubin also told Cointelegraph early in the year that he expected a bright future for Ethereum, pointing toward the blockchain’s asset, Ether, and its ability to maintain price strength amid the crypto bear market.